Bush calls for renewed anti-terrorism powers

US President George W. Bush on Wednesday called on the US Senate to approve funding for military operations, including the war in Iraq, and to renew a controversial package of anti-terrorism laws.
"The terrorists want to hit us again," Bush told reporters in prepared remarks on the South Lawn of the White House. "We must have the tools necessary to protect the American people."
He spoke as the US Senate considered the annual defence budget as well as whether to renew parts of the Patriot Act, a series of measures bolstering law enforcement powers passed in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, before they expire at the end of the year.
Opposition Democrats, backed by a small number of Bush's Republicans, have blocked approval of the legislation, citing civil liberties concerns amid a controversy over US government spying on US citizens without a warrant.
"This obstruction is inexcusable," said the president. "The expiration of this vital law will endanger America and will leave us in a weaker position in the fight against brutal killers."
Bush's remarks came as he battled a controversy over a secret order he signed in 2002 enabling the National Security Agency to capture US citizens' international telephone calls and electronic mail without a court order.
Some lawmakers blocking the Patriot Act have cited concerns about whether Bush skirted the law with that decision and said they want stronger civil liberties protections.
"At the same time as we protected the American people using the Patriot Act, we've also protected their civil liberties. There is extensive oversight on this very important program," the president said.
"It has been an effective tool. It has worked," he said.
Bush also pushed for Senate approval of the 453-billion-dollar defence spending bill, which includes 50 billion in emergency funding for US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"It's an obligation of every member of the United States Senate to provide necessary funding for our troops on the front lines so that we can fight and win the war on terror," he said.
Shortly after Bush spoke, Vice President Dick Cheney cast a rare tie-breaking vote in the Senate to pass a spending bill, after cutting short a Mideast tour to force legislation through the gridlocked Congress.
By a vote of 51 to 50, the Senate narrowly adopted legislation to cut federal deficits by nearly 40 billion dollars, with Cheney casting the deciding vote in his role as president of the Senate.